Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-08-13
CHAPTER Xxx


I'VE MUST PART, JOHN"
jess and her companion stood in awed ST.
lence and gaged at the blackenng and dis
torted corpses of the thunderblasted Beers.
Then they went past them to the tree which
grew some ten PAGES or more on the other
side OF the place of destruction. There was
some little difficulty in getting the horses past
the corpses, but ut last they came with wheel
and snort of suspicion, and were tied
up to the tree by John Meanw bile jess took
some OF the hard boiled eggs out of the uasket
and vanished. She sat herself on slab of
nat stone out of the glare of the sun, and t4ie
her breakfast of hard boiled eggs, rejecting
meanwhile on the position in which she found
d, herself. For her heart was very sore and heavy,
and slIecouH 6nd il in her to wish that she was
lying somewhere beneath those rushing wa
tiers. She had calculated on death, and now
she was not dead, and she and her shame and
her trouble might yet live for many year
She was like one who in her sleep had seemed
to soar on angels wings out into the airy
depths, and then awakened with IA start to
find that she had tumbled from her bed. All
the heroic scale, all the more than earthly
depth of passion, all the spil'itualized desires
that had sprung into being beneath the
shadow of the approaching end, had come
down to the common level of an undesirable
attachment, along which she must now
drag her weary feet for many year. Nor
was that all She had been false to Bessie,
and more, she had broken BesSie'S lovers
troth. She had tempted him and he had
fallen, and now he was as bad as she Death
would have justified all this; she would never
have done it had she thought she was gong
10 live; but now death had cheated her, as be
has way of doing with people to whom his
presence is more Or less desirable, and left her
to cope with the spirit she had invoked when
his sword was quivering over her.
What would be the end of it, supposing
they escapedi What could be the end ex-
cept miseryt 1t should go no further, far as
it had gone, that she swore; no, not if it
broke her heart and his, too The conditions
were altered again, and the memory of those
dreadful and wonderful hours when they two
swung upon the raging river and exchanged
their undying truth, with the grave for their
altar must be memory and nothing more.
She rose and walked back to the spot where
she had left John an hour before. He was
employed when she reached him in saddliDg
up the second of the two grays with the sad
dies and brides that he had removed from
the carcaSSes of the horses which the light
ming had destroyed
"Hullo. jess, You look quite smart. Have
you dried your clothes3" he said. 81 have
after a fashion,
"TeS," she answered
He looked at her "Why, dearest, you
have been crying. Come, things are black
enough, but it is Mouse crying. At any rate,
We have got off with our lives so far
John said Jess sharply, there must he
no more of that Things have changed We
were dead last night; now we have come to
life again. Besides" she added, with ghost
of laugh, perhaps you will see Bessie to-
morrow. | should think we ought to have
got to the end of our misfortunes.'
Johns face fell as the recollection of the
impossible and most tragic position in which
they were placed, physically and morally,
swept into his mind
My dearest Jess" he said, what is to bs
donei"
She stamped her foot in the bitter anguish
Of her heart Il told you,7 she said, that
there must be no more of that. What are
you thinking aboutl From to-day we are
dead to each other have done with you
and you with me. 1t is your own fault; You
should have let me die Oh, John, John, -
she walled out why did you not let me die!
Why did we not both die: We should have
been happy now. or-asleep. We must part,
John, we must part; and what shall | do
without you! what shall oof'
Her distress was very poignant, and it
affected him 50 much for a moment he could
not trust himself TO answer her.
Would it not be best to make clean breast
n I i. 4 . a
BLACKBOARD for the rest of my life, but upon
my word have mind to do it.
No, nor she cried pasSionately, Il will not
have you do it, You shall sweal to me that
YOU will never breathe word to Bessie. |
will not have her happiness destroyed We
have sinned. we must suffer; not Bessie, who
is innocent and only takes her right prom
ised my dear mother to look after Bessie and
protect her, and | will not be the one to betray
her-neverl neverl You must marry her and
must 20 away There is no other way out
of it"
John looked at her, not knowingAvhat to
say or do \ sharp pans of despair went
through him as he watched the passionate,
pale face and the great eyes dim with tears.
How was he to part from herr He put out
his arms to take her in them, but she pushed
him away almost fiercelv
Have YOU no honor.' she cried as it not
all hard enough to bear without your tempt
ing mel | tell YOU it is all done with Finish
saddling that horse and let us start The
sooner we get off the sooner it will I've over,
unless the Beers catch us again and shoot us,
which for my own part devoutly hope they
may. You must make up your mind to re-
member that l am nothing but your sister i'll
law. If you will not remember 1t, then |
shall ride away and leave YOU to go your
way and | will 90 mine.
John said no more Her determination
was as crushing as the cruel necessity that
dictated it What was more, his own reason
and sense of honor approved of it, whatever
his passion might prompt TO the contrary.
As he turned YEARLY to finish saddling the
horse he almost regretted with jess that they
had not both been drowned and got it over
OF course the only saddles that they had
were those belonging to the dead Beers,
which was very awkward for lady. Luck
lily for herself, however, jess could, from
constant practice, ride almost as well as
though she had been trained to the ring, and
was even capable of balancing herself with
out a pomme ON "a mans saddle having
often anu htttll iOllilb tut bdiIl Ill
that way. So soon as the horses were ready
she aStOnished John by cambering into the
saddle of the older and steadier animal, plac-
ing her foot in the stirrup strap and announc-
ing that she was ready TO start
"You had better ride some other way,
said John. 1T isn't usual, | know, but you
will tumble off"
you shall see" she sud, with a little
laugh, putting the horse into canter as she
spoke John followed her OH the other horse
and noted with amazement that she sat as
straight and steady on her slippery seat as
though she were on hunting saddle, keeping
herself from falling by an instructive balanc
ing of the body which was very curious tc
notice. When they got well ON to the plaiI
thev halted to consider their route. and "a,
they did so jess pointed to the long line 81
vultures descending to feast on their would
be murlerers. If they went down the rive
1t would lead them to Standerton, and Their
they would be safe if they could get into tn
town, which was garrisOned by English. Blu
then, as they gathered from the conversation
of their escort, Standerton was closely in
vested by the Beers, and to try and pas
4.